Leave me your experiences in the comments, do you agree with me or did I miss anything important?
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Okay, this is the blog post that everyone wants. So grab your prosecco and pull up a chair, let’s discuss the global appeal of Italian men. Let’s start off with the superficial basics. If you have any taste in men at all, it’s almost impossible to deny the classically revered features of the Italians- the strong noses (here there is a fine balance required, let’s be honest), the even stronger jawlines, the thick eyelashes that look better than mine with two layers of falsies…just the eyes in general. Sometimes I think that the Romans invented bedroom eyes. Italians also have gorgeous coloring, that is of course, if that’s the look you’re into. In the north, they are tall, (less) dark, and handsome. Traditionally things get a little shorter and tannier towards the south and the hair increases (everywhere). But that’s still hot because hello, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine folks. And of course, there are blonde Italians, there are redhead Italians, because God is good. Personally, I’m a sucker for your tall, dark, and handsome type, hence my choice of husband although he could work on his tan a bit during the winter months. But despite all those adjectives, I think the Italians have 50% of their sex appeal in their eyes and the other 50% in their swag. Indeed, I have used the word swag in this post. It’s really the best word to describe this because it’s this innate, inner confidence and style that just emanates from every Italian, women included. Some tourists however, see it as arrogance. But I like my men with confidence (as do a lot of women I imagine based on the success of 50 Shades of Grey…!), call it arrogance if you will, it’s attractive paired with green eyes. On that note, you get some superb eye colors in Italy ranging from ice blue to the green that you thought was the stuff of urban legends. If you can’t tell already, I also adore green eyes (again, see husband choice). Moving on, Italian men tend to have style that most other men only dare dream about, or have to follow a step-by-step article in GQ to attain. They are also big on personal grooming, sometimes their eyebrows are more on fleek than mine. This is often associated with being excessively metrosexual but I assure you, no one is kicking an Italian out of bed for having too perfect eyebrows. Unless they are a forma di rondine, then yes, you are being kicked out, actually you are not being invited in at all. Finally, the last factor in all this appeal is passion. Italians, men and women, are so passionate about everything that they do (cough, cough...) and passion is sexy, I assure you there might be no bigger turn on than going to a soccer match with your Italian man and watching him watch his team win. That is passion personified if I ever saw it. Forget oysters, champagne, and strawberries, let’s go to San Siro!
Leave me your experiences in the comments, do you agree with me or did I miss anything important? Before meeting my current Italian husband, I had gone on many a date where I could have worn a paper bag and a hair scrunchie and the response would have been “wow, you look great”. This was not to appease me (or to say that I can rock a paper bag and scrunchie) but simply because all these guys probably fell in either one of two categories- or they genuinely liked my outfit choices or they weren’t paying the slightest bit of attention to my shoe-accessory coordination skills. On what was likely the second date with the first (and last) Italian I went out with, I remember primping and prepping, picking out the perfect “second date” outfit only to be blindsided with “your belt doesn’t go with those shoes.”
At the time, I was both horrified and deeply offended as you probably are reading this. How dare a man tell me how to dress! I was defensive of my choice and stomped around angrily but he insisted. I ended up changing the belt whilst pouting the entire time but when I saw myself in the mirror, I had to admit to myself that my date had been right! In fact, after having moved to Italy and spending time with Italian friends and family, I’ve noted that it’s a common question for women to ask their boyfriends or husbands: “come sto?” before leaving the house and they all truly want an honest opinion and will take off or change an item of clothing based on male feedback. There is no offense taken at all, I think they are just grateful that the men take an interest in what they wear and what kind of impression it gives. Although it was originally a complete shock to me, I now appreciate this. Call it old-fashioned or anti-feminist if you will but if my Italian fellow’s input helps me walk the fine line between making a brutta figura and a bella figura, who am I to complain? If you enjoyed this little dating snippet, you'll probably love this article I wrote for Pink Pangea... Italian Men: The Unofficial Guide Also, if you have your own entertaining "dating an Italian" story or any cross-cultural dating story, feel free too leave it in the comments section! This is an excerpt from my short story in the book "Once Upon an Expat" released last summer on Amazon. Definitely check out our book if you haven't had the chance yet, it's chock-full of stories that will make you want to move abroad and have your own expat moment!My journey to living in Italy starts out as all good stories do- with an Italian boy in tight white pants. I was a meagre 19 years old when we met almost 8 years ago in Alberta, Canada- a moment in time that coincidentally coincided with the moment I fell in love with Italy, funny how that happened eh? I always considered myself exponentially more prepared than your average American expat in Italy and I certainly never bought into that “I’ll learn Italian by osmosis when I get there” concept they’ve been trying to sell us via the perfect vessel of Diane Lane in Under The Tuscan Sun. No sir, I applied myself- I took Italian in university alongside a wonderfully light course load called my undergraduate pharmacy degree, I religiously PVR’d every episode of House Hunters International that featured a strong female lead moving to Italy (forcing my parents to watch it as evidentiary proof that I wasn’t crazy and that other young women moved there all the time), and finally, I likely own every travel literature book ever written on the subject. I’m literally on my second copy of Marlena De Blasi’s A Thousand Days in Venice because I wanted that to be my life. I had done the dress rehearsal several times, and when I finally moved to Italy last year, it was not my first rodeo by any means. I was prontissima (the suffix emphasizes the word ‘ready’, equivalent in English would be ‘super, duper ready’). There would be no fooling me, no behind-the-back snickering as I unknowingly ordered a cappuccino after mid-day to accompany my Margherita pizza; I was well-versed in the cultural no-nos. Turns out, the most cringe-worthy expat moments tend to come when you least expect them, no matter how prepared you are. Mine came while I was waiting for the bus. Now I know how to take a bus, in fact, I have stellar bus-taking capabilities and on this particular day just a few after my arrival in Italy, I had already expertly surpassed the initial foreigner mistake of not knowing that you have to buy your ticket before boarding the bus. Ha! So there I am, ticket in hand like a real Italian, waiting at the bus stop and smiling like a fool at my ingenuity. Eccolo (there it is)! My bus is rolling up. Imagine it slow motion like Richard Gere in the limousine, minus the flowers. I started walking towards it and zoom…it whips right past me! To read the rest of the story and find out how this kerfuffle of mine ends, head over to Amazon and get the Kindle or paperback!Well that's it for 2016 folks. It has been a hoot and a half, that's for sure. I highly doubt that the next year will be able to live up to the last, so many happy things defined my 2016: getting married, seeing my dearest friends and family altogether in Italy, getting married...! And as you probably know, we closed it off with a bang: the blog won the BEST NEW BLOG award from Italy Magazine! This is truly, madly, deeply, one of the greatest honors that an expat in Italy blogger like myself can be given and I'm really so happy, even more so with the fact that maybe we will have more exposure and I can get to connect with more of you living abroad, living in Italy, or dreaming of doing the former two. In the end, that was my greatest hope for the blog, to put our shared experiences into words and help prepare others for the journey! Speaking of journeys, I just came back from one yesterday. Massi and I spent "capodanno" (which technically is the first day of the year because it comes from "capo d'anno", but is typically used to refer to New Year's Eve celebrations) in Ferrara, Italy, a city in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Ferrara is actually reknowned for its New Year's Eve festivities, mainly for the iconic "incendio del castello" (castle-on-fire) where a wonderful fireworks display is coordinated around the Castello Estense in the center of the city. It involves not only traditional fireworks being shot-off from the four towers, but also a cascade of fireworks that pours over the castle walls- combined with smoke and flashing lights, it really seems like the castle is "on fire". We spent the first part of the afternoon walking aimlessly around the city which usually results in us somehow hitting all the major sights and landmarks anyways, one of which is the building above, Palazzo dei Diamanti (referencing diamonds for obvious reasons). This building is particular stunning to see in person, the play of lights and angles is amazing considering it was conceived in 1493. It started to get rather chilly (for Italy) as the sun set, so we took that as indication to huddle in a streetfood kiosk (called Take Eat Easy) with some ice-cold IPA. We then started the arduous task of trying to find somewhere to eat. For New Year's Eve, Italians typically participate in what is called a "cenone" which is just a way to say "big, important dinner". This usually involves going out or staying in with your friends and eating an excessive amount which is like every other Friday night in Italy anyways, so what's the big deal you ask? Probably that if you go out, restaurants have a set menu and start taking reservations in advance. So armed with this knowledge, of course we waited until hours before to start asking around to make a reservation...with zero luck. Every restaurant in Ferrara was AL COMPLETO, FULLY BOOKED. It got to the point where restaurants were putting up makeshift signs so they wouldn't have to repeat it to the umpteenth clueless tourist. We were completely at a loss and contemplating having a kebab when a miracle happened. We were able to secure a table for two at a Chinese restaurant just steps from the castle. If you asked our fellow Italian diners, they would probably tell you it was a horrendous experience, but I, on the other hand, found it delightful. The restaurant had managed to jam in another forty people in its basement, with no emergency exit and no way of even walking between tables. The food was late and didn't follow a particular order, the waiters had no idea what was happening, and only one employee (the restaurant owner's son) spoke Italian. But, we ended up paying 20 Euros a person and the wine was unlimited. Let me repeat, the wine was UNLIMITED. So Massi and I had a grand ole' time, watched the fireworks happy as two clams, and danced until I couldn't take anymore Euro dance music (circa an hour is about my limit). I apologize, the photos are in reverse (so as you scroll down, you'll see the start of our trip). What did you do for New Year's Eve in Italy?
In September, I finally married my long-time favorite Italian on a wonderfully sunny day in the church where his parents were also married in. We went to Africa for our honeymoon and this past week has been the first full one back at work. It's all extremely bittersweet, to think that a day that is so revered and so anticipated for years (on my part) goes by in the blink of an eye. We had the perfect day. Almost half of our guests were my beloved friends and family that made the long trip over the Atlantic to be celebrate with us. Our priest was sublimely spontaneous, the gospel choir sang their hearts out, and we were even blessed with a too-good-to-be-true sunset over Lake Iseo. I'll be posting more photos either here or on the Facebook page when possible as we do not yet have the ones taken by our photographers with the exception of this snippet below! Have a great weekend everyone!
Today's blog post is actually just a checklist of things that need to be done prior to getting married in Italy. It is the list that was given to me by Massi's sister to help us keep in mind the numerous amount of tasks to be considered prior to the big day. I've included it in both her original version in Italian with my notes in English. Hope that it's helpful to some of you! Especially if you're a non-Italian planning a wedding to an Italian...there were alot of aspects that are traditional to weddings here that I had absolutely no clue about! Of course, in the end, it's your day so you can organize it and include/exclude whatever you like but the following is a list that would apply to a very traditional (also, religious- Roman Catholic) wedding day:
N.B. If you're not Italian, you will also need to check with your native country (call the Embassy in Italy) to see what documents you require in order to get the civil marriage certificate and you cannot leave this until the last moment! Lista x Matrimonio/To-Do List for the Wedding Ceremony: - Lista nozze o comunque far sapere agli invitati cosa volete che vi regalino/Complete a wedding registry or at the very least, you need to tell people what you would like to be gifted for the wedding - Scelta delle fedi. Conta che di solito richiedono almeno 3 settimane per procurarvele e incidere nome e data. Ci sono diversi modelli, grandezze e bombature, i tipi classici sono 3./Choosing rings. This typically requires at least 3 weeks from start to finish to have them ordered and inscribed with names. There are different styles that vary according to width and shape but there are three classic models that most people choose. *This is different from North America because Italians still go very classic (as in, a gold band) for wedding rings. They don't necessarily have matching "sets" with band that matches your engagement ring, for example. - Honeymoon, decidere, organizzare, prenotare/Decide and book the honeymoon. - Noleggio o scelta auto sposi/Choose and rent the newlywed car. *Again, different from North America where we might use a limo. Here, you usually rent a very particular kind of car whether it's a luxury car or an antique one! Messa: Dovete decidere/For the Mass (if you're having a religious ceremony): •preghiere/prayers •chi legge cosa/who will read what •i canti/hymns •quale versione della promessa inserire (io prendo te come legittimo sposo.... Ci sono varie versioni)/which vows you want to use as there are various versions •offertorio, dovete decidere chi e cosa porterá degli oggetti all'altare. Ed eventualmente trovare gli oggetti/for offerings to the church, you need to decide what to bring to the altar and who will bring them and eventually find and purchase these objects •Tutto questo va scritto e impaginato nel libretto della messa/all of this then needs to be assembled into the mass program; if you're organizing a bilingual/bicultural wedding like we did you will also need to have both languages in the program Bomboniere/Party Favors: •per i genitori/a specific gift for each set of parents •per i testimoni/for your witnesses •per gli invitati al pranzo/for all-day guests (coming to the ceremony and the reception) •per gli invitati la sera (di soluto solo il sacchetto di confetti)/for those just coming to the evening portion (usually people give a little bag of confetti) Inviti/Invitations: •x il pranzo/for the reception •x la sera/for those just being invited to the dance portion Other (Miscellaneous): -Bigliettini da inserire nei sacchettini dei confetti/thank you cards to put inside the little bags of confetti -Scelta musica in chiesa/music for the church -Scelta musica ristorante (controlla chi deve preoccuparsi della SIAE e dovrai portare il documento che accerta che la siae sia stata pagata al ristorante)/music for the restaurant (and you need to get a "music license" from SIAE that allows you to have live music/a DJ at the venue; this can now be done online instead of going to the SIAE office -Organizzazione giochi/scherzi/animazione al ristorante ed eventualmente fuori dalla chiesa/organization of wedding games and entertainment during the dance and also, during the exit from the church -Fotografo/photographer -Fiorista/florist; you will need flowers for... •fiori chiesa/the church •bouquet sposa/the bouquet •auto/the car - Parrucchiere/hair and makeup -Cuscino fedi/cushion for the wedding rings - Damigelle o paggetti/attendants, flowergirls, ringbearers etc. -Menu: Di solito é da confermare il numero di invitati e richieste speciali (bambini, vegetariani, vegani, allergie...)/the menu at the restaurant usually requires confirmation for numbers and number of special meals required - Pensare all'offerta da dare x la chiesa/think about the donation to make to the church - Comprare/preparare ceste con fiocchi bianchi x le auto/buy and prepare baskets with white bows for the cars of wedding guests -Segnaposti tavoli: Decidere i nomi dei tavoli ed eventualmente la grafica/Placeholders: Decide on table names and any necessary graphics/illustrations you want -Suddivisione tavolate. Chi mettere a che tavolo./Table organization and where each guest will sit -Centrotavola: Alcuni ristoranti ci pensano loro, altri devi fare tu. Se questo é il caso devi parlare col tuo fiorista/The centerpieces at each table (some restaurants do this for you, others you need to ask the florist to do) -Confetti bianchi sciolti da portare in giro ai vicini di casa/ in ufficio/white confetti to take to your neighbors and to your co-workers -Pensare a dove far pernottare gli invitati- trasporto a ristorante/how to get your guests from the church to the restaurant and back to their hotels *applies if you are having guests come from overseas The photos used in this post were from the wedding of Massi's best friend. You come to alot of realizations when you move to Italy. Like I've come to realize how beautiful an invention the dryer machine is, how the concept of a queue is underrated, or how fettucine alfredo is a terrible trick American restaurant chains play on you from the time you're born, the culmination of humiliation which comes when you first try to order it here. Georgette of Girl in Florence had this fantastic article on: Things [we] didn’t do before coming to Italy. One of those things was this gem:
Stop playing the ‘lets compare lives game’ Ok I can’t totally admit that I never do this still, of course that evil traits comes back to haunt me from time to time. But in the states it was much worse. You are taught to go to university, resign yourself to a ton of debt without even complete job security but that’s just how it is. And it’s always about what someone else is doing, how much they’re making etc. At least that’s how I personally felt. While some might claim that doesn’t matter, it kinda does – this being because in America ‘if you just work hard’ as hard as this person, or that person – you might just be a billionaire jetting off to Singapore for a weekend, right? I get that its changing due to the economic crises but I left in 2007. Lets be honest for a second, that is never going to happen in Italy. You either are lucky enough to have money and/or work remotely from this amazing country and you don’t compare as much because – what’s there to compare? We are all more or less in the same boat. Unless you areBerlusconi, then you can steal and cheat and for some crazy reason, enough people still love you. This particular point is HUGE. I do not compare lives with anyone I know in Italy. You know how back in Canada/USA if you're at a cocktail party, the first question asked is inevitably: so what do you do? And it's not usually asked with honest intentions...let's be honest. We ask that question to size up our conversation partner and to see how we are doing in life relative to them. You may argue this if you've never lived abroad where people don't talk about work or jobs as incessantly as across the Atlantic. But I swear, it's the hard truth. There is a stark difference between here and there. Here, besides my work colleagues, I literally have zero idea as to what my friends do for work. I have literally no idea what their significant other does. AND NO ONE ASKS. I bet you know the jobs of every single person you're friends/acquaintances with right? I know these same fun facts about everyone back home. We display it on Facebook too- real estate conferences, white coat ceremonies, bar calls, whiskey night with the firm partners, post-call wine, #trustmeI'manengineer etc etc. I'm guilty of it too and I find myself still updating my friends on Facebook with job-related info (buy the book Once Upon An Expat!), it's a habit that's engrained in us but one that I think we could do without. I am now very cautious and aware about asking the work question to anyone as I think it's better to be like the Italians in this respect. It actually results in a feeling of community and camaraderie rather than competition, and those two former concepts tend to fit much better around a dinner table and a bottle of wine. To be blatantly honest, I think the appeal of blogs/Instagram/Snapchat etc is to allow us all to be a tad voyeuristic and just get a sneak peek into the lives of people we don't know. Personally, I know that I've always been interested in the lives of expats abroad, hence my House Hunters International obsession. Everything seems like normal life but cooler and with more wine (ok, maybe I'm only talking about if you live in France or Italy here!). So instead of blabbing on, here's how my weekend went presented as a mini photostory. Friday Night: dinner at an agriturismo with friends from Massi's soccer team, took minimal pictures but essentially we stayed there from 9pm until midnight and then rolled home.Saturday: this was a particularly unique weekend because one of my childhood friends (+ her work friend) from Alberta came to visit me and so we met up in Milan for shopping and eats!Missing: aperitivo on the 7th floor of La Rinascente.Sunday: started off the morning with a run/hike up to this hilltop church in order to stave away the impending guilt from the 'pranzo della domenica' that was about to happen....basically after Sunday lunch you're so stuffed that you have to 'digest' for a couple hours and we usually lay around like sloths or have a quick walk in the city before heading back home and preparing for Monday. The End.I'm never a grouch (unless I haven't had carbohydrates in more than 24 hours), but I thought I'd try to be a bit of a Scrooge for this post to share with you the everyday things that get on my nerves in Italy. They are really minor and probably only annoy me.
What's on your list?! Read this post on My Biggest Language Pet Peeve if you liked what you just read. Or, you might also like my rant on Hardships of the Non-White Expat in Italy! If you need to know about Milan, I'm the last person you want to talk to. I can count the times I've been on one hand. I was, however, contacted by Apollo TV from Berlin and they shared this wonderfully-done video on the city that is such a stranger to me. I want to be part of the Milan in this video. That's the thing about her- she's not beautiful at first sight (unless you stand in Piazza Duomo), she's rather like that artsy girl in the corner, covered in paint (or graffiti in Milan's case), big plastic glasses, baggy clothes, no make-up: her beauty is hidden. To uncover Milan's, I think you need to really delve into the internal beauty but in order to do so, you have to live there. So stay tuned for more on Milan because next week, I'll be doing just that by taking a tour with a local with the website Withlocals (www.withlocals.com).
Since starting the blog, I've had the privilege to get to know many fellow "italophiles" from around the world. It's such a unique experience to be able to share our mutual love (and sometimes hate) for all things Italy and Italian and I've longed to bridge the gap and share readers stories with, well, other readers. I am titling this "Readers Share the #Italy Love", so feel free to search that for similar pieces in the future. The inaugural post goes to Grace, here is a snippet from one of her e-mails to me: I rent a small studio apartment on Piazza San Antonino whenever I'm in Sorrento. I've become part of the neighborhood. There's a small restaurant right next door and I have gotten to know the owner, Dino, and he, me! I walk in and just say "Ho fame!" He knows "my pizza" because he knows I can't eat certain cheeses. He knows I like very little sauce on my pasta. He knows That I want salad and bread. We are friends. We chat in a mixture of Italian and English while I wait for my food. We both enjoy the moment. It's a neighborhood...the coffee bar, fruit store, grocery, etc...I love being a part of "the flow of life". I know so well that almost giddy feeling that you described about meeting people in the piazza for drinks...I get the same feeling...I'm in Italy and I'm part of the fabric of life in Sorrento! I love waking up every morning and making my espresso and deciding what I want to do...should I hop on the fast ferry and have lunch on Capri. Should I get on the bus and visit Ravello for the day? Decisions and choices...I am so lucky! - Grace If you're a reader or you've randomly stumbled here or you're just an all-around ITALOPHILE like us, send me an e-mail, tell me your story and I'd love to feature it here. It can even be a wee anecdote like Grace's, an experience you had in Italy in just a few sentences.
Just got back from going to pick-up my pizza in the pouring rain. I walked there since it's just down the block. When I arrived, I was greeted by smiles and the faces of the family that I've come to know over the past ten months.They know "my" pizza. We chatted awhile while the son fired it in a traditional wood-burning over. Funny something so simple really defines life in Italy and why it is so darn appealing (addictive?) and good for the soul. Whether or not you can see the beauty in this small anecdote, I think, is more or less indicative of the kind of person you are. Kind of like whether or not your eyes light up when someone starts saying Pastéis de..., if you can finish that, we are bound to be the best of friends. I know it's downright annoying to hear the words "enjoy", "life", and "Italy", all in the same sentence, but it never ceases to be true- here, life is lived. In North America, I used to watch whole days race by. Whole days. A precious amount of unpromised time. You may say, well, that's your fault. And perhaps it is. Perhaps some of us need Italy. To be surrounded by so much beauty that it's impossible, just impossible to look away. And that's just the men. Just kidding, I was referencing the architectural and cultural beauty of course. Like yesterday night, I set out to meet some lovely ladies for an after-work aperitivo: it was raining, but a movie-worthy rain that seemed to bounce joyfully off the cobblestones without ever getting your Italian leather shoes wet. I was walking exceptionally slow as to not massacre another heel (I've probably spent over 50 euros having heels replaced on all my shoes) and I found myself in the middle of an illuminated Piazza della Libertà (below). Now it's no Piazza Navona, but it sure did the trick. I was just in awe, smiling like a fool, thinking to myself - how truly amazing is it to be crossing a piazza to meet friends for a drink. Not a parking lot, not the mall, not a six-lane highway- a piazza. Yes, some of us need an Italy. I really hope you find yours. x
If you live in Italy, be sure to pick up the latest Chi because you just might find two familiar faces between its covers...that's right, Puffo and I are in this month's issue! I sent in our photo last month but completely forgot about the possibility that it could be chosen until I was casually flipping through the October 7th edition on the weekend and was in complete shock to see him featured. Anyways, with a face as handsome as Puffo's, it was inevitable that they'd include him, he's only just the most beautiful cat in the world.
This post is for all you young expats or would-be expats, those of working age who aren't loaded and can't afford to retire and bask poolside on a yacht in Portofino (magari!). I would just like you to know, that as you plan or even just dream about your life abroad, it's going to be pretty ordinary in a sense. You are going to find a job, a hot Italian boyfriend (wink), work during the day, come home, cook, watch terrible Italian variety shows, and go to bed. Repeat. Sometimes expectations of grandeur can cloud the reality of life in Italy. I've spoken with many a prospective expat who all seem to think Italy is an eternal vacation. When I reflect on my day-to-day life, the best way I can describe it is as completely ordinary but with an extraordinary backdrop. It's these surroundings that make the difference. Imagine you took the most heinous, bland play in history but gave it the costume designer of Sex and the City and the best of the best set designers. That's your life in Italy. And the problem with that is it's easy to also become immune to the "set". Often, I try to actively remind myself to take a look around me as I frantically drive home to let the cat in, or to the grocery store to stock up on wine. Therein lies the beauty.
Photograph: My beautiful friend Sunmi perusing a fruit market in Forio, a small town on the island of Ischia in Italy. An absolute must-see and highly underrated by all tourists (except Germans, someone tipped them off!). This documentary came out a couple years back but worth a mention- a couple of young guys take a trip around their motherland as a last ditch effort to re-discover Italy's beauty before taking on a decision to leave. It's a thought-provoking look at the ins-and-outs of Italy's nuances that are almost never seen through the eyes of us North Americans who think dream the "Italian Dream" and only have a couple vacations to Italy and the first forty minutes of Eat, Pray, Love as reference material. It's especially relevant given the fact that having talked to fellow colleagues and young Italians, the "American Dream" is still alive and kicking and so many people fantasize about life across the Atlantic. What do you guys think, love it or leave it?
If you clicked on the post because of the 'dirty laundry' title, I'm sorry to break it to you but I shan't be divulging any deep, dark secrets here. This is literally a wee commentary on (literally) hanging dirty laundry.
So Italians don't use dryers. I know, seems like blasphemy but energy is simply too expensive and the sun simply too warm most of the year to justify using a dryer in Italy. Instead, we go old school- hang drying on lines or metal racks, both of which seem like an enduring sight to photograph when you're a tourist, but that's actually the bane of my existence on a daily basis. I'm being dramatic but let me tell you, it's probably in the top ten of my "culture shock" list and perhaps the hardest thing to adjust to. I had never hung clothes in my life and I think there's a certain mastery to it. I think this because it can't be humanely possible that even socks require ironing...right? Is there some miracle trick to it that lets me skip ironing the tea towels and underwear?! If you're Italian and reading this, please help! Leave your tricks and tips in the comments! Who is John Moretti you ask? The author of the Moon Living Abroad series for Italy (see previous post or check out the website here if you're interested: http://moon.com/living-abroad/). I didn't even make it past the introduction before having to screenshot my Kindle and post this gem. I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING. (I still leave home without my sunglass and silently kick myself for it as I zip past cars and EVERY SINGLE Italian has an annoyingly perfect and ultra-trendy pair of shades on).
Recently, I had the chance to do an interview with Multicoolty, a site aiming to connect the thousands of stories lived everyday by people all over Europe with a focus on the idea of those who are global citizens- the nomadic among us that have lived in more than one country. Here's a snippet from "Meet Our Team": We are (Eve short from Evgenia, Inga, our collaborators Nasima, Ying, Masha, Lorena in Italy and Federicain France) a team of journalists, bloggers and migration experts passionate about storytelling and photography. We have lived and worked in different countries and our international experiences have shaped our global perspective on the world we live in. We are real multicoolties and global citizens! Every day in the countries where WE are (Germany, Italy, France) we meet plenty of people from all parts of the world just like us: bright and inspiring people who bring their cultures with them making Europe more diverse. And so the idea of Multicoolty was born as we see how Germany, Italy and France increasingly become more multicultural and global. With this project we want to provide a glimpse into the lives of multicultural community by taking pictures, making great videos, collecting short and long stories from real people we meet on the streets (and not only) of various European cities. Anyways, check out my full English interview here (I've included just a small portion of the questions and answers from it below), or if you like, read the short and sweet Italian version here.
What brings you to Italy?
Moved to be with my fiancé, I was a pharmacist and now am doing a mixture of blogging, freelance articles, and taking advantage of being a mother tongue English speaker for teaching and consulting. What were the initial struggles when you moved? The main challenge is leaving behind your old life- everyone and everything in it. Besides friends and family, I had just started a profession as a pharmacist and practiced for a little more than a year before moving so that was hard to give up. Talking to other expats, the most common struggle is the language but I had a slight advantage having studied Italian back in Canada. What are the things that you like/dislike here? Life in Italy is so coveted because it’s really well-rounded. You have the opportunity to be immersed in pretty much any “vice” you desire – great wine, food, scenery, art, shopping, history…you name it, you can find it in Italy. Plus, being such a small country, you can travel from one city to another easily and see the topography, dialect, and food change even between short distances. There’s only one thing I dislike- the bureaucracy. Everything that should be easy is made exponentially more difficult by the need to go to several different offices with several different documents on a variety of days (during hours you would normally need to be at work)…basically it’s a nightmare and you need to behave like an Italian to get things done. By this, I mean you have to be extremely persistent and not be afraid to raise your voice! I'm back "home" in Bergamo, Italy after a whirlwind of a summer vacation around central Italy by motorcycle and then Ireland. I haven't posted anything on the blog the entire trip due to time restrictions (and lack of wi-fi), so I am slowly going to be writing a post for each day or two. I'm not enthused about having to scourge through the 500 photographs we took over the past 14 days, oh how I loathe picking and choosing for the blog! So we left Bergamo in the late morning two Saturdays ago- the sun was scalding and I was not impressed with having to wear a leather jacket and motorcycle gloves, although I was more than pleased with my footwear choice (to the dismay of Massi). The first leg of the trip was not exactly ideal as we basically flew down the autostrada until we reached Florence. For those of you experienced on a motorcycle, highways are not fun- all your effort goes into keeping your head from whipping side-to-side in the wind, so much so that your neck starts killing you after the first fifteen minutes. You can barely look at your surroundings because the slightest deviation of your helmet from parallel to the acceleration of the bike results in bad news bears. Our first stop was for lunch on the Strada del Chianti. We devoured a panino made on the spot with fresh bread and freshly-cut mortadella with pistachios (my favourite), cruised a little more, and then took this shot that you see above, distinctly Tuscany wouldn't you say? By this time, it was already getting to be late afternoon so we decided to take the obligatory gelato stop at San Gimignano (called the Manhattan of the Medieval times due to the abundance of towers). I had never been before, however had heard of it's famed gelateria located its main piazza after having read about it numerous times at Cows Ice Cream in Banff, Alberta. Most recently, the gelateria hasn't won back its coveted "best gelato in the world' title, but its claim to fame is the awards it won in 2006/2007 and 2008/2009. A highly recommended pit-stop for anyone doing a tour of Tuscany, I enjoyed walking through the town as much as I enjoyed the gelato. We left about after an hour or so meandering up and down and around San Gimignano. The ride through the Tuscan countryside as the sun started setting was magical, honestly, you haven't lived until you've experienced these winding backroads through vineyards at dusk. The light is golden and it casts a spell on the entire Tuscan landscape, the air is warm and sweet, as only it can be during an Italian summer. I've tried to capture it for you in third photograph above, however, I think I've tried in vain. We were making our way to Siena where we were to spend the night when we passed Colle Valle d'Elsa (pictured below) and were compelled to stop for dinner. It is a town much like Bergamo, albeit smaller, surrounded by medieval stone walls. It was here that we had a wonderful stroke of traveller's luck when we found ourselves walking through ancient underground passageways that eventually took us to dinner. Again, definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. There's also an insanely quaint restaurant atop the gates leading into the city, although we opted to venture inside the walls for our meal of pizza and beer. Another 30 minutes later, our heads were hitting the pillows in a camping site just outside of Siena, in total and utter exhaustion (being a bit virginal at this touring on a motorcycle thing!). And so concluded our first day on the road, on our way to Abruzzo.
Ciao a tutti! First off, today is the last day before unofficial summer vacation for practically all of Italy. Not sure if you knew this, but in August, the majority of Italian companies shut down to allow for their employees to head out to the sea and basically live the dolce vita that Italy is so famous for. In the past, this used to be even a month long, nowadays, the standard is usually 2 to 3 weeks but hey, who can complain about that?! This whole concept has evolved around this time of year as August 15th is Ferragosto, an Italian and Sammarinese public holiday coinciding with the major Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary (yup, that's straight from Wikipedia but let's pretend I knew it off the top of my head). We are so stoked to be headed off on the motorcycle starting tomorrow so make sure to follow the Instagram feed (@questadolcevita) for immediate updates on where we are. First stop>>>SIENA! Second thing on my agenda today is to share with you a new blog that suggests wanderlust might just run in the family. My cousin Allison and her boyfriend Chris are both born-and-raised Edmontonians (actually I'm not 100% sure about the boyfriend but meh!) just like me and attended the University of Alberta, graduating with degrees in something that requires you to be exceptionally smart. They then behaved like most normal, logical human beings, working and saving until they decided to quit their jobs and head out on the open road for an EPIC AROUND THE WORLD trip which will eventually see them to Australia. I can't help but be overly enthused about this because of 2 reasons. First reason is that is means I'm not the only crazy person in my family and second reason because they are visiting places I've never been which means I get to indulge in that 'living vicariously' thing through their blog. The blog is called 2Peas, find it here. I will now leave ya'll a little blurb from their "About Us" page: Hey! This is our blog! It’s called 2peas.ca because we’re from Canada and also a little bit attached at the hip (that is, until one of us murders the other for being too annoying). I’m not going to write anything whimsical here about “leaving the daily grind” or “discovering yourself” because I think you’ve heard it all before. I do enjoy cheesy couple photos though, so here are a bunch. I’m sorry about that. But not really. Anyways, I’m Allison and I like to program things. Christopher doesn’t know what he likes to do. If you’re here you probably already know that since we’re not cool enough to have readers that aren’t our friends or family (YET). We’re on the road and writing this blog to document stuff so people (Hi Mom!) know we haven’t died. Enjoy! Drop us a line at weare@2peas.ca BUONE FERIE A TUTTI!!! See you in Siena, then Montalcino, then Montepulciano, then Gubbio....and the rest is to be announced. (Notice how all these places have amazing wine? Strategy friends, strategy). As I'm sitting here with my glass of wine, it came to my attention that I've inadvertently discovered the most ingenious, foolproof way to decide if you're in a good place in your life. Here it is:
If you're drinking your glass of wine completely for the sole purpose of pleasure, congratulations, you've found your bliss. I remember back in Canada, always thinking to myself...once this shift is over, I'm going to have me a glass of red wine the size of my head. My group of pharmacist friends and I even had weekly meet-ups, appropriately dubbed "Wine Wednesdays" that were specifically to vent and de-stress. While seemingly totally normal, I would like to point out that this is not normal in Italy and actually, it's probably a sign that things aren't so hunky dory. However, it's a trademark of our generation in America- this fascination with being busy and then having to "pencil-in" 2 hours in a week to then de-stress and start the spin cycle over again. If you think I'm exaggerating, I'm really not. Italians do de-stress of course, but in a much healthier way- perhaps by working in their vegetable patch (like Massi), having a lovely, slow dinner every night, taking a stroll outside, or meeting friends for an after-work aperitivo (which stays surprisingly classy). But wait, you might be saying...you're just always happy there in Italy because everyday is Wine Wednesday. While I can't deny that we sure do enjoy a glass or two in the evening, Italians drink wine for one reason only- to complement the flavours of their food (well, that and for general health purposes). Wine is the equivalent of a multi-vitamin here. God, I love Italy. x This has been by far one of my favourite articles that I have written for Pink Pangea which is why I wanted to share it with readers of the blog. Here's just a sneak peek, you'll want to click here to read the full article on the original site...
Congratulations, you’ve landed yourself the coveted Italian man, the epitome of a Latin lover. I wouldn’t call this a rude awakening per se, but if you’re a foreign signorina with no Italian roots, you may run into quite a few stark cultural differences in your relationship with Mr. Perfetto. This is nobody’s fault, it is simply the contrast between upbringing and expectations in Italy. Of course, this article is based on my personal experience of being the WAG of a born-and-raised Italian man for the last seven years, and based on discussions with Italian girlfriends of Italian men. Here are a few pointers as to what Italian men expect (or “appreciate”) from their main squeeze: Housewives of Italy. In Italy, you have to be able to do it all–work and keep a perfect house, all while looking like Sofia Loren circa late 1950s. I applaud all you WAGs out there, I truly do. A lot of Italian men are heinous neat-freaks and perfectionists when it comes to their house. This is due to the fact that their mothers, and grandmothers, and great-great grandmothers took great pride in their homes and therefore your Italian man has grown up in an impeccably kept household and expects the same for his own. Watch your wine. While in other countries, men may not care in the slightest if you enjoy a little too much out in public, in Italy, both men and women tend to keep themselves under control while drinking. In all my experience with Italy, I have never ever seen an Italian girl drunkingly stumble in her Ferragamos. Link to the original article: http://www.pinkpangea.com/2015/06/italian-men-the-unofficial-guide-for-wives-and-girlfriends/ Ciao all! My newest collaboration just went live yesterday- so honored to have been asked to be one of JJ Caprice's "Savvy Travelers" for the Summer Travel Series where the site is featuring a different country every week:
Each week for the months of June, July and August we will spotlight a different country. Inspired by summer travel and adventure, our goal is to explore the globe, one cool city at a time. Each week we will feature country-specific content including Q&A's with savvy travelers who have visited, content from natives who want to share their favorite local spots, destination-specific outfit guides, travel tips, food recommendations and more. Let the wanderlust begin! Let the wanderlust begin indeed. Click here to read my Q&A (or click the screenshot above!) and be sure to check out www.jjcaprices.com for hand-picked (by Jen personally), locally-sourced gift ideas from all around the globe. It's non-existent. Punto. Dot. End of the story. I don't typically like to rant on the blog because all in all, when I put Italy on the scales, the positives always outweigh all the things that make you want to tear your hair out. But today I could've punched the lady ringing my groceries through. I mean, it's a general well-known fact that customer service in Italy is laughable- from being transferred from person to person on the phone and finally being hung up on to having someone make me wait while they take an Instagram of their morning coffee- I've experienced it all. I really would have pulled a Samantha (remember that iconic "dirty martini, dirty bastard" scene in Sex and the City?!) on that girl taking a photo if not for the fact that she was sitting behind a pane of protective glass. More often than not, people in the customer service in industry in Italy act like they are serving a life sentence while at work, as if they never asked to be doing that job and someone is coercing them into it. I'm sure sometimes that's the case, so I'll let those people off the hook. But my case and point for today was the reaction from the cashier when I pulled out the buoni that I wanted to pay with. Buoni are like meal vouchers that alot of companies give to their employees so they can buy lunch. Conveniently, you can also buy groceries with them which apparently is very inconvenient for the aforementioned cashier. She LITERALLY let out the loudest, most exaggerated, sigh of exasperation accompanied by a fully intentional eye roll. It was as if I asked her to run laps around the store. These situations make the Canadian in me want to apologize profusely until I remember that I've simply asked someone to do their job. This particular cashier had a couple of people after me in line and was evidently so deeply affected by my request that she told them she was closing her register...That being said, I have also had a few (rare) instances of lovely customer service so I'm not saying it's all terrible all of the time, I've just had a harder time adjusting maybe? Have any of you had some good, bad, or ugly customer service experiences. Please share so I don't feel like the only crazy one!
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Curator:Jasmine is a (former) pharmacist turned freelance writer, foodie, and fashionista from Alberta, Canada living "the sweet life" in Bergamo, Italy.
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March 2017
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